Nothing Changed
by Wren Da'ar
Summary: There's a transfer in the middle of the year at Hogwarts. She's strange looking, and acts even stranger. Harry, Ron, and Hermione investigate.
1. The Arrival

Disclaimer: Danna is my own character, unfortunately, I don't own a bit of Harry Potter, J.K. Rawlings, Hogwarts, or much else. O_O Just a warning, I'm not J.K. Rawlings *Sniff, sniff* and I don't write like J.K. Rawlings *Bawls* so characters, settings, actions, time line, etc., will not be like J.K. Rawlings. This is around the Fourth Year for Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

  
  


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Danna looked about her new school, staring quietly at the rows of tables with the laughing and talking students. Professor McGonagall stood by her side. "Well, lets get this over with. Follow me." The professor immediately marched to the front of the room, carrying a battered hat in her hands. Danna followed nervously behind, painfully aware of the hush that fell over the room as she and the professor stepped to the front of the room. Dumbledore stood at that moment.

"Today, we have an unusual occurrence. A student transfer." He gestured to Danna, then nodded for Professor McGonagall to proceed, sitting back down.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, then spoke Danna's full name. "Dannarae Shatayan." Danna stepped to the front and sat on the stool, facing the sea of students watching her. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head. Instead of speaking, the hat drew a deep, shuddering breath, and then spoke quietly. The students leaned forward to listen, eyes wide.

"A transfer is a rare thing,

A student new, late entering.

Where they go, if there are friends,

They will save, and sometimes end.

But a special time awaits us,

Where we learn of Wyrms, who hate us!

Perhaps a friend in Dragon-kind

Unless our fear makes us blind."

The Dining Hall was quiet enough to hear the rustle of robes. The students didn't speak, confused by the short rhyme, and by the fact that it was delivered atop a student's head. Danna sat very still, gripping the edge of the stool, when she heard the hat's voice in her head. "Many tasks face you now. Are you prepared? Are you brave? Are you good, friendly, or do you seek glory?"

Danna let the thoughts float to the top of her consciousness. "Place me where you think best. I have a task to do and human magic to learn. There isn't time for me to consider glory, bravery, or friends."

She could almost feel the hat nod, then it gave a slight jump on her head and shouted, "Griffyndor!" Instead of the customary shouting over a new student, there was continued silence. Professor McGonagall removed the hat and stepped back. "Take your place with your table." She gestured towards the Griffyndor table.

Danna stepped down and sat in a rapidly vacated place amid whispered speculation. Professor Dumbledore stood again. "Thank you for your patience. As you know, the Christmas Break is rapidly approaching. Please remember to study for your Mid-Terms, but to pack for your trip home. Dannarae will be entering classes as a fifth year student." Danna's head snapped up to Dumbledore's at this comment. He noticed and explained, "You are new to us and doubtless learned different courses. I believe that you will do best with the Fifth Years rather than the Sixth Years." She nodded acceptance, then turned to the food on the table, acutely aware of the stares following her every move.

  
  
  
  


"Well, what do you make of her?" Harry asked, flopping on the couch.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know what, yet. But, although she's a Fifth Year, who should be Sixth, they have her sleeping in my Dormitory. They moved one of the other girls out. Apparently, Dumbledore wants me to keep an eye on her and help her with her homework if she has any problems." 

Ron raised an eyebrow at that. "How come they don't order you to help me with my homework?" he asked.

"Because," Hermione answered tartly, "they already know that you get help from me. Maybe they're worried that she won't ask anyone for help so they assigned me to be her buddy."

Ron muttered, "So long as she doesn't get in our way."

"Oh Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "Like she's going to 'get in our way' on purpose! She doesn't know anyone else."

"And she's not likely to, either," Ron commented. "Have you seen the way she looks?"

"Who hasn't?" Harry answered. "I think everyone spent a good ten minutes staring at her."

Just then, the portrait opened and Danna stepped into the room. She paused at the entrance and looked around. "Look at her!" They all turned to stare, yet again, at the strange looking girl. Her hair hung to her waist and was silver. They couldn't call it gray, since it actually seemed to have a metallic shimmer to it. Her eyes matched her hair, eerily reflecting the light. As far as anyone had been able to tell, her pupils never changed size. Her skin was very pale, and she was short, about five feet four inches tall. She couldn't possibly have weighed over 120 lbs. "What a freak," Ron whispered. Danna chose that moment to look directly at them, then she began to walk towards them, ignoring the hush that again seemed to permeate the air.

"Excuse me," she said politely to Hermione, "but I'm not sure where our room is." The three watched her for a moment, then Hermione jumped to her feet.

"Sure, I can take you up. In fact, I'll probably be heading to bed myself. Good night, guys."

Harry and Ron mumbled a good night, watched the two disappear into the girls dormitory, then headed up to their own beds.


	2. A Dangerous Drink

As with chapter 1, I don't own ANY of it! It all belongs to J.K. Rawlings! Except for Danna. She's mine.GRIN And the "situation" came from my own head. Anyway, on with chapter 2!  
  


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It was right at the point between night and morning when Danna woke up. She stared at the ceiling a moment, confused about where she was, then sat up and pulled the bed curtains back. The rest of her roommates were still asleep. She crawled quietly out of bed, cringing slightly at the cold floor. She walked to the window and opened it, allowing the cool, mid-December air to run into the room. She sat on the window sill, dangling her legs outside. She leaned as far forward as she could, spreading her arms wide and closing her eyes. A sudden gust of wind blew into the room, whipping her hair behind her and causing her bed curtains to snap. Danna inhaled deeply, feeling the longing build inside her. The need to just jump and fly into the air. "What are you doing?" Danna dropped her arms and twisted around. The wind slowly died down. She stared at Hermione, who was standing by her bed. The other girls stared wide-eyed through their bed curtains.

Danna considered her options for a moment, then said, "What are you talking about?" She blinked and looked around, as if confused, then backed away from the window. "What am I doing here?!" She allowed alarm to creep into her voice, even though she felt no fear. She backed away from the window until her back was against the door on the opposite side. Hermione closed the window.

"Are you all right?" she asked Danna, concern in her eyes.

"Yes. I must have been sleep walking." Danna felt bad for lying, but it was necessary. They couldn't know. Not yet, if ever.

"Well, since we're up, we may as well get ready for the day," Hermione said, the others nodding agreement. "Besides," she muttered to herself, "I don't think I could go back to sleep after that. It was weird."

Danna knew that she wasn't supposed to have heard that last part, but she couldn't really help it. She overheard more than anyone suspected. But she had practiced the art of guile. No one knew how much she knew.  
  
  
  


"It may not be the strangest thing that I've ever seen, but it certainly rates up there with weird," Hermione hissed to Ron and Harry over breakfast, after relaying what had happened earlier in the morning. "And it was creepy the way she sat there, looking ready to jump. She said that she was sleep walking... but she waited too long before telling us that! I think that she has some major issues and someone needs to talk to her about them."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Hermione, you think that you have to save anyone. And just look at how she looks! Of course she's nutters, she's probably been to millions of shrinks to get that looked at." Hermione shot Ron a withering look.

Harry, noticing an argument brewing, worked quick to head it off. "Hermione, I don't think we should say anything. It's not any of our business, after all. And maybe she was telling the truth." He knew it was the wrong thing to say when Hermione glared at him, stood up, and huffed off. He glanced at Ron. "Well, at least we're in agreement."

Ron laughed. At that moment, the owls came to deliver the mail. The two took Hermione's issue of the Daily Prophet since she wasn't there to read it and paid the owl, then went in search of Hermione-after all, they had Potions later.  
  
  
  


Danna stared at the dungeon that they met in for Potions. Slytherin students were on one side of the room and Gryffindor on the other. The rivalry between the two was painfully obvious from the snide remarks made by a small, pasty faced boy with white-blond hair. Harry Potter, whoever he was, was the main object of his ridicule. But he also seemed to fancy Harry's two friends, the red head and Hermione. Pasty-Face was backed up by to thugs, neither of which looked very intelligent. The door at the back of the chamber banged open and Professor Snape entered with a swirl of robe.

"Today, class-Neville, put your toad away! 10 points from Gryffindor!-we will be making a Dragonsbane Potion. Who can tell me what Dragonsbane does?" Hermione's hand shot into the air. "Anyone?" Professor Snape asked, completely ignoring Hermione. Danna sighed slightly and lifted her hand into the air. "Ah, the new student thinks to make something of herself," Snape sneered. "Typical Gryffindor." The Slytherin students snickered. "Well, go ahead and embarrass yourself...Dannarae, was it?"

Danna met Snape's eyes coolly and lifted her chin slightly. How dare he? She was a Shatayan! "Dragonsbane is extremely poisonous to dragons. One of their few weaknesses. A little bit will cause them to be extremely sick and weak for at least seven days. A lot will kill them in a matter of minutes or hours, depending on the dosage. Dragons don't have to take it orally, just getting dragonsbane on them will infect them. There is no known cure."

Snape's lip curled. "Well, ten points from Gryffindor for attitude. I will not tolerate that kind of attitude and you would do well to learn that now," Snape said. He turned to the rest of the class. "She is, amazingly, correct. Although I don't know what that nonsense about a 'cure' has to do with anything. This potion is completely harmless to humans, which is why we use it. Dragons can generally smell the dragonsbane, and when you drink the potion, they can smell that you are poisonous to them and will leave you alone. It can also be used to bring a dragon down so that you can study it, or kill it, if it is threatening people. Here's the potion. Begin."

Danna was clenching her teeth in frustration. She hadn't been spoken to like that since before she was a child, and here this...this... She forced herself to be calm and focus on the potion. She made it very carefully, but was even more careful not to spill. At the end of the two hours, she stepped back, carefully bottling her potion. Except that Snape was walking towards her. She forced her eyes down in an effort to appear submissive. "Well, since you were so quicky to answer my question, you can drink your potion to test it and to prove that it doesn't harm humans. If you made it correctly, you have nothing to fear." Snape smiled coldly as Danna's eyes flew up to meet his.

"Professor, I cannot drink this," she said, the words tumbling out of her before she could control them. 

Professor Snape's eyes narrowed. "Cannot?" he asked coldly.

Danna licked her lips nervously. "I'm allergic to this potion. I lived in an area heavily populated by dragons, so everyone was dosed with it often. Except that when they gave me the dosage, I stopped breathing and nearly died."

Professor Snape raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? How come this case isn't documented? Perhaps because you made the potion wrong?" His eyes hardened. "Drink it."

Danna stared at him and could find no way around it. She lifted her potion to her lips and barely wetted her lips, quickly setting it down and wiping almost frantically with the sleeve of her robe. Snape scowled. "Enough of these antics! Drink the potion, I say!" But there was no way Danna could. The room began spinning around her and her knees hit the floor. She saw the startled look in Snape's eyes and heard some students crying out in alarm. She gasped desperately, trying to breath, but her throat was closing as if gripped by a giant fist. She doubled over, screaming as her stomach knotted in pain. She didn't remember what happened after that.


	3. Friday's Recovery

I'm sure you can guess the routine by now. Don't own J.K. Rawlings or any of her stuff, i.e. Harry Potter series, character therein, or the "Hogwarts World."

  
  


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She was first aware of the chills that shook her body. She was shaking uncontrollably, and everything seemed to be spinning, even with her eyes closed. Try though she might, she couldn't seem to gasp in enough air, either. As if from a distance she heard a woman saying, "I've never seen anything like this, Professor. She's burning up, but shakes as if she's freezing. I'm certain there's nothing left in her, and I can't get anything nutritious down either. She's dehydrated and incoherent. I don't even know if she knows we're here right now."

"Please, continue to do the best you can, Madam Pomfrey," a man responded. Then silence. The silence and the darkness terrified her more than anything. Her ears felt stuffed full of cotton and she couldn't open her eyes. She silently cried out for help. A sudden rushing sound filled her mind and she was aware of a faint babble. She sank into oblivion, comforted by the noise.

  
  
  
  


The pain gnawing at her stomach brought her to awareness next. Danna achingly opened her eyes, groaning at the pain. It was full night outside and she was in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts. Her stomach clenched, growling demandingly at her. Vaguely, she wondered how long it had been since she had eaten, but didn't spend much time in idle speculation. She was more interested in finding something to eat.

She rolled out of the bed and was forced to cling to it a moment, readjusting her body to holding up her own wait. She staggered towards the door, eventually ending up on her hands and knees. It was much easier crawling, and the world didn't spin around her as much. She had just made it to some stairs when she heard someone whistling. Danna looked up weakly, and found herself staring at Peeves, whose whistling had cut off abruptly and now stood staring, wide-eyed, at her. Peeves dropped into a low, formal bow, and spoke with uncharacteristic submissiveness, "How may I serve you, Great One?"

Danna sighed in relief. "I need food, Peeves. And information when you get back." Peeves bowed again and zipped off down the hallway. Danna leaned back against the wall and stared across at a mirror. She was trying to figure out who the new ghost was when she realized she was staring at a reflection of herself. Her skin had changed from pale, to pasty, and her face was shrunken. She looked like a skeleton, the skin stretched tight across her forehead and cheeks. Her hair hung limply. She hissed in frustration, pupils narrowing to slits, before she caught herself and breathed slowly, forcing her pupils to dilate fully again. Peeves returned then, trays overflowing with food in his arms. The trays all held raw, red meat.

"Thank you, Peeves. Now, how long have I been out? And what happened in my absence?" She began eating what Peeves gave her, forcing herself not to gorge, and listened to Peeves's report. He told her that she had been unconscious for nearly 4 days, about the upcoming Yule Ball, the Triwizard Tournament, who was dating who, what the teachers were doing, what would be for breakfast tomorrow...bluntly, more than she wanted to know. But she didn't interrupt him. She was too busy eating. She wiped her bloodied hands on her robe, then dismissed Peeves. Feeling much better, she made her way back to the Gryffindor dormitory.

  
  


Danna was grateful that she took the time to change last night when she was awoken by the startled cry of Hermione. "What are you doing in here? You should be over in the Hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey." Danna pried her eyes open, sighing.

"I'm feeling much better now, Hermione, thank you. All I need now is rest and the correct diet." She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and then climbed out of bed. "Besides, I don't want to get any further behind than I already am. Are any of you going to the Yule Ball?" she asked, just to change subjects.

The reaction she received wasn't what she expected. They stared blankly at her. Then one of her other roommates started to giggle. "Do you realize, Dannarae," she asked, "that this is the first time you've ever talked to us without us trying to get you to talk first?" The other girls started grinning at that point, and Danna couldn't help but smile with them.

"Well, I guess having a near death experience has reminded me that I'm human too. And please, call me 'Danna.' Dannarae is so formal," Danna said. She stood up and started working on getting dressed. Hermione immediately came to help her.

"You know," she said quietly to Danna, "a lot of people would call me a fanatic as far as academia goes. But what you're doing now is carrying it to extremes. You should be resting."

"I can get better sitting at a desk just as well as laying in bed," Danna responded. They all descended to the Common Room together. As with this morning, everyone stared at Danna when she entered. "I hope this doesn't happen all day," she murmured softly.

A smile tugged at Hermione's lips. "You realize it's because you look like a walking skeleton, don't you?" Danna laughed softly, then nodded, gripping Hermione's arm to keep from falling. "Come on, you two!" Hermione said to Ron and Harry. The two boys shook themselves, coming out of the trance. "She's going to need our help today." Hermione narrowed her eyes. "And if I hear that you abandoned her, you'll do your own homework for a week!"

The four headed towards the stairs when Fred and George joined them. "Blimey! Who're you?" Fred asked.

"Be nice, Fred!" Hermione said.

"I'm George," he answered.

"Whatever!"

But Danna grinned. She had forgotten what it was like to have siblings. "You know, Fred, you shouldn't tell a lie. It's likely to come back and get you." Fred looked at her in surprise.

"But I'm Fred!" George exclaimed.

Danna laughed. "Please, I can tell the difference between twins as easily as you can tell that I'm half dead. I grew up with a lot of identical siblings."

They walked into the Dining Hall and sat down. Danna's plate was heaped by everyone so fast that she barely had time to choose what to eat. She didn't mind. She really did need to put her weight back on, so she ate voraciously. She cleared her plate, then filled it a second time and cleared it again. "You know," Ron said around half a mouthful, "if you would have waited one more day before coming down, you wouldn't have to go to school. It'd be Saturday."

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed.

  
  


AN~You know, I don't think I like this chapter as much. Oh well. R/R please! :)


	4. Famous!

*Sighs with delight.*I love my coworkers!*Eating chocolate zucchini bread.*And I love people who read and review my story-of which there are currently 0 PEOPLE!! To those of you who R/R after this, I LOVE YOU!!*Huggles till you turn blue.*Now, to those of you who haven't read or reviewed, what are you waiting for??? I would like to extend a personal invite! Please let me know if you like it or not, or if I'm wasting my time!!!*Pulls out a pocket watch and waves it in front of the worlds face.*You are getting sleepy...very sleepy...Okay, now, when I snap my fingers, you're going to read my story and review it!*SNAP!*

  
  


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Since that day, Hermione and Danna were friends. Because of Hermione's close association with Harry and Ron, she became something more than an acquaintance with them, but less than a friend. Danna was aware of the strain her presence put on the two of them, so she tried not to impose on the threesome too much.

The weekend passed without event, as did the week before Christmas Break. Danna continued to put on more weight with the secret help of Peeves. Potions became much more fun, as Snape seemed to be somewhat jumpy around Danna. Perhaps, she thought smugly, he's afraid that I'll suddenly keel over on him again.

The other piece of exciting news was the Yule Ball coming up. At least, the girls seemed to think it was exciting. Danna noticed a general lack of appreciation for the dance from the male populace. "Hermione, who are you going with?" Danna asked the night before the dance.

Hermione began blushing furiously. "...icrrrummm..." she muttered quickly.

"What?" Danna asked again. "I didn't catch that."

Hermione sighed. "Victor Krum," she said clearly. "I know that he and Harry are against each other in the Tournament, but he asked, and he really is intelligent. There's a lot more to him than just Quidditch, and I really like talking to him." She stared at Danna almost defensively.

Danna held up her hands, as if to ward off a blow. "Hey, I have to problems with it. Personally, I'm not all that interested one way or the other who wins the Tournament, or who plays on Quidditch. They're not really flying, anyway," she said with a wry smile. "All I care about is that they're all careful and that no one gets hurt," she said seriously.

Hermione nodded. "Thanks for your support." She smiled nervously at Danna. "Now, will you help me get ready for Victor tomorrow night?" 

Danna laughed and nodded cheerfully. "We'll knock his socks off!" she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

  
  


The two were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, doing a bit of homework when Harry and Ron came in with Ron's family. "Fred, George, look who's come to visit Harry!" Ron hollered across the room. In walked Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, followed by Charlie and Ginny. Fred and George headed across the common room-raced, more like it-and started talking excitedly with their family.

Mrs. Weasley hugged both of her boys and also spoke with them. "Mum, this is Dannarae," Ron introduced, after Mrs. Weasley had hugged Hermione and asked after her help.

"How do you do?" Danna asked, standing up and holding out her hand.

"Oh, don't be so formal!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "If you're one of Ron's friends your as good as one of my own children." Danna blinked in surprise at being pulled into an embrace. "And look at you! I thought Dumbledore fed his students better, but you look all skin and bones!"

"She just got over being sick, Mum," Fred said. He proceeded to tell her the entire story of Danna's illness, with Ron interjecting what happened in the classroom.

"It wasn't that big of a deal," Danna murmured when they had finished, embarrassed by all the attention.

Mrs. Weasley snorted and began talking to Hermione. Out of the corner of her eye, Danna studied Charlie. Finally, she moved a bit closer to him. "Are you really Charles Weasley?" she asked.

He blinked. "Well, yes. Who else would I be?" He grinned at the question.

Danna smiled back. "I'm just surprised at meeting someone who's so famous."

"Famous?"

"Perhaps not among wizards and witches, but your work with dragons and for dragons is renowned in the circles that I move in," she explained.

"Really? Imagine that." He got a lopsided and pleased grin on his face while his ears began to turn red. They continued to chat quietly, Charlie surprised at how much Danna knew about his work and Danna making suggestions about how to improve his work.

"Ron, we came this week because your father and I, and Charles and Ginny, will be going to Egypt to spend some time with Bill. So you'll have to stay here this Christmas." Ron sighed and said that they'd be all right. He'd have more time to hang out with Harry, after all.

  
  


The night ended and the next day came. It was another boring day, until evening. Then Danna and Hermione were kept busy getting Hermione ready for the Yule Ball. They just barely made it in time to where Hermione and Victor were meeting. Perfection, after all, isn't something you can just pull out of a hat. It takes time to create. Later that evening, Hermione filled Danna in on all the details of the Ball.

She left the next morning for Christmas Break. It was shortly after she left that Ron and Harry decided a foray into the Forbidden Forest would be a good idea. Of course Danna followed them. There was danger in the Forest that they didn't know about.


	5. Wyrms

Here I am again! You know the drill. Thanx to the one person who reviewed...naturally, I understand that everyone is busy and that there's a million HP fanfics out there! RR if you would, please. Constructive criticism is welcome, but no flamers! I know that there are some grammatically incorrect places here, but I don't feel like correcting them just for the sake of grammar.*Sobs.*I've been ruined ever since my grammar class! (I now walk around correcting myself while speaking.)

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"Harry," Ron's voice quavered. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course, Ron! All the clues that we've been able to find so far have led us here," Harry answered. Danna was following silently behind them, stepping in their footsteps to avoid the crunch of snow. The moon was obscured by the thick trees overhead and darkness reigned in the forest below.  
  
"What, exactly are we looking for out here?" Ron asked. Danna tried not to hiss in irritation. Must they be so noisy?  
  
"Wyrms," Harry said shortly.  
  
"Didn't the hat say that Wyrms hated us?"  
  
"Not necessarily," Harry answered. "Hermione said that a lot of what the hat says can be symbolic and it could be referring to the fact that we'll learn of somebody besides Wyrms who hate us. The Wyrms could be our allies."  
  
Not likely, Danna thought to herself.  
  
"So, how are we going to find them?" Ron asked. In the darkness, Danna could see Harry shrug his answer. They hadn't traveled much farther when Danna felt it.  
  
She stopped in her footsteps just to be sure, heart racing. There! she thought, feeling the ground pulse beneath her feet and echo within her body. She raced forward, shouting "HARRY! RON!" They stopped in astonishment and turned to face her. She grabbed them by the shoulders and spun them about. "GO BACK!" Not moving fast enough to suit her, she pushed them in the desired direction.  
  
"What're you doing here?" Harry asked.  
  
"I said run!" she grabbed their arms and dragged them after her.  
  
"She really is nutters!" Ron exclaimed. At that moment, the ground behind them exploded into the air, a terrible roar filling the air. "What is that?!" Ron cried, faltering.  
  
"A Wyrm." Danna stopped and turned to face it. "Keep running!" she said over her shoulder to the two boys.  
  
"We'll hel..." Harry started to say, but Danna broke him off with a snarled "GO!" She faced the Wyrm directly and raised both hands. A wind came from nowhere and lightning pierced the air, lighting the forest. Harry and Ron stumbled backwards, eyes wide. With a sharp crack, Danna clasped her hands together. The lightning raced towards the Wyrm, piercing its flesh at the juncture of its neck. It snarled angrily, arching back as if to fling away an annoying fly.  
  
Danna spun and grabbed Harry and Ron, dragging them after her again. "This time, keep running!" She stopped and turned to face the Wyrm again. This time, Harry and Ron obeyed, disappearing into the dark.  
  
Danna let out a satisfied sigh and glared at the Wyrm. "Now it is between us!" she hissed. She spread her arms out and the forest filled with a blinding, silver-white light.  
  
***  
  
"Hermione, we're telling the truth! She followed us out there and then fought that...that Wyrmsingle-handed! She wouldn't let us stay to help," Harry said.  
  
"And she fought it without a wand," Ron added. "I've never heard of anyone able to do magic without their wand."  
  
Hermione looked at them skeptically. "Neither have I, Ron," she responded. "Are you sure you two weren't just overreacting?" They nodded emphatically.  
  
A shadow fell over them and the three winced in surprise. "Ron, are you sure that you've told me everything you know about the dragon-sighting?" Charlie asked. He had returned from vacationing in Egypt because he'd heard rumors of a dragon-sighting around Hogwarts.  
  
Ron sighed again. "Yes, Charlie! We've told you everything."  
  
"It just doesn't make sense!" Charlie raged again, pacing near them. "Silver dragons have been extinct since...well, no one knows for sure. But they were incredibly rare even in their hay-day! And then reports of one appearing here." He looked confused.  
  
At that point, Danna approached them, her left arm in a sling. Harry and Ron immediately leapt to their feet, vacating a spot for her to sit down. Charlie stepped forward to assist her. She sat down gingerly, smiling at Charlie. "Thanks," she said.  
  
"It's the least I can do after you saved my younger brother," he smiled back.  
  
"Why didn't you have Madam Pomfrey heal your arm and back?" Hermione asked.  
  
Danna smiled wryly. "These aren't injuries that Madam Pomfrey can heal. And, since Ron and Harry are stupid enough to run around unprotected, and because I know that the four of you-yes Charlie, I think you should hear this too-can be trusted, perhaps we should talk."


	6. Revelations

You know, I was reading this story to catch up and got so excited that I was disappointed when it ended! ;P Okay, I'm just kidding. But I am in the mood to get going on this again. READ and RATE please!

Danna looked at each of them individually, piercing them with her gaze. "What I am about to reveal to you must go no farther than this circle. It is essential to your safety and to mine that this remain a secret. Do I have your word?" When they each nodded, she took a deep breath, then leaned forward, lowering her voice so that it could not possibly be overheard. "There is war brewing."

"Duh!" Ron said, leaning back. "We've known that since our first year here and You-Know-Who really decided to have at Harry."

Danna shook her head. "I know you know that Voldemort is trying to kill Harry, but this is more serious. He's enlisting aide from other creatures now. The Sorting Hat was _not_ speaking cryptically when it referred to the Wyrms as your enemies. If anything, it was an understatement. Voldemort has contacted several of the more prominent Wyrm colonies and enlisted them to his side. We dragons cannot sit idly by and allow that to happen. We will fight the Wyrms and any who ally with them."

"Wait, wait," Charlie said, "_we_ dragons? What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said," Danna replied. She relaxed her control over her body carefully and her eyes slitted. It was a relief to her, since constant dilation was giving her a headache from all the light she had to allow in. She re-exerted her control after making sure that they had all seen. "I am what is known as a Shatayan among dragons."

Charlie stared at her. "You don't look like a dragon to me...but your eyes..." He continued to study her.

"Let me explain," she said calmly. "My father...well, he was a bit interesting. You see, he was a wizard and he mastered a very difficult spell. He learned an Animagus spell that changed him into a dragon."

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Charlie broke in.

Danna flashed him an irate look. "I assure you, it is _not_ impossible. Would not some say that Harry's survival of the Death curse was impossible?" They nodded thoughtfully. "Well, from what I understand, my father enjoyed so much his change as a dragon that he was more dragon than human after that. He found the clutch of my mother and began courting her...a most unusual affair that involves lots of fire. Being a human wizard, he was able to outdo the other males with _his_ fire and he and my mother mated."

"Dragons mate for life," Charlie murmured quietly.

Danna nodded agreement. "I was the result of their union. I can change between human and dragon form and am able to use both forms of power granted to their respective species, though I will never be as strong as a full blooded of either species. That is why I am here. I have more or less mastered Draconic Magic and am here to learn Human Magic." She turned to Harry. "And to protect you and offer draconic assistence against the Wyrms."

"Me?" Harry asked, "Why me?"

"Are you not the leader of the resistance to Voldemort?"

"No, I'm just a student. I don't think anyone is organizing an army against Voldemort."

Danna stared at him in horror. "Are you joking?"

"No. Everyone in the Wizarding World thinks he's dead, except for us and Dumbledore."

Danna looked around at them. "Then we are doomed, unless something can be done quickly."


End file.
